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Call to Action for Buckinghamshire's Villages

Villages that want to be considered for the title of Buckinghamshire’s Best Kept Village or Village of the Year 2006 are being reminded not to leave it too late to get their entries in.

The competitions are organised by the Bucks Association of Local Councils (BALC) and sponsored by Calor – the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), with additional support from Bucks County Council, Milton Keynes Council and the District Councils from Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe.

Competition chairman, Richard Pushman, wants as many villages to benefit from entering as possible. He commented: “I want to encourage as many communities as possible to enter, particularly those that haven’t taken part in either competition before. We’re not looking for ‘perfect’ villages so don’t be afraid to have a go. Entering the competitions can be a very positive activity for a community – bringing people together and engendering community spirit. The closing dates for entries are approaching, but there is still time for villages to take part if they act now.”

The Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village competition focuses on the community spirit highlighted through a village’s well-kept environment, and celebrates communities pulling together for the benefit of all residents. Villages have until April 28th to get their entries in for this competition. The Buckinghamshire Village of the Year competition, which has a closing date of May 31st, judges communities on six aspects of village life with categories in Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, Environment and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Prizes are available to the winning villages in both competitions, including £500 prize money available specifically for the Building Community Life category which has been made available thanks to continued competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) for this category at both county and national level. In addition, the overall winning village in the Village of the Year competition will have the added honour of being nominated to go forward and represent the county in the prestigious Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, with the opportunity of gaining recognition at national level as well as a share of the prize fund totalling more than £39,000.

For further information and entry forms please contact the Bucks Association of Local Councils by email at balc@buckscc.gov.uk, or by telephoning 01296 383154.

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Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR, a Connectpoint Company
tel: 01223 845781 (direct) / 0161 817 4200 (main office)
email: emma.flinn@connectpoint.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Calor Village of the Year^®

Calor, the leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to those living and working in the countryside, has supported rural activities in England, Scotland and Wales for 20 years through its Rural Sponsorship programme, which includes the Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competitions and the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition.

The Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, now in its tenth year, was founded and developed by Calor, and is organised and funded by the company on an annual basis.

Please note that Calor Village of the Year^® is a registered trademark and should be referred to in full in all circumstances.

Entry to the Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition is through the existing county competition network.

Following competition support in 2005, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is once again providing Calor with additional funding in 2006 to enhance the community life element of the competition through the Building Community Life category. Defra’s special aim is to encourage the inclusion of all groups and individuals into the fabric of rural community life - building cohesive and mutually supportive communities. Defra’s involvement means that every village in England has the opportunity to enter the 2006 Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition.

The national Calor Village of the Year^® judges look for well-balanced, pro-active, caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

The prize money for the national Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition alone stands at over £39,000. First prize is £7,000 with £2,000 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are five category prizes of £500 within each region (covering Business, Environment, Care for Older People, Care for Young People and Information Communications Technology), and a prize of £750 for the winner of the Building Community Life category in each of the five regions. The five regional winners of the Information Communication Technology category are judged to find an overall winner, the award for which is £1,000. There is also, thanks to the Defra support, a prize of £2,000 for an overall Building Community Life winner, which is selected from the five regional winners.

For general information on the Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competitions:

email: info@calorvillageoftheyear.org, tel: 01962 629768, or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

For more information on the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition:

visit: www.communityoftheyear.co.uk

For more information on Defra:

visit: www.defra.gov.uk or for information specific to rural affairs visit: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/default.htm

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